Arlington (AGMR 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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Beautiful Island ■ Ilha Formosa, or beautiful island, Portuguese discoverers called Taiwan in 1517. Like a floating leaf, it lies 100 miles off the Communist mainland. Toda ' Taiwan is the stronghold refuge for Chiang Kai-shek, the Republic of China Government, and the artistic and cultural heritage of pre-C:ommunist China. The casual visitor to Taipan is likely to see little but the fine highway between C:hilvmg and Taipei or the modern port of Kaohsiung, and he is usually surprised that the roadside and port scenery is remarkably like that of the United States. But for the stout of heart exists the spectacular East Coast Highway which gashes cliffsides along the 240 miles of rugged mountains walling of the dramatic heights of the east coast from the fertile plain of the west. And where in the United States could one find good-luck flags flying on bamboo staffs beneath the national colors of new fishing boats or aboriginal fishermen setting out on bamboo rafts with dip nets poised on the bows? The maidens of Taiwan are also distinctively and exotically oriental, as are the frequent religious festivals, restaurant fare, and the swirling contours of terraced rice paddies of the northern and western sections. 151

Page 157 text:

Crossroads of the Pacific I Diamond Head is a green-tiered liackdrop for ]iite sands and atinamarine surf ; a gentle breeze props lazy palms ; the streets are a mo ing abstract ot Haslu aloha shirts and How ing minnnnns ; the girls on the beach arc bron cti and bcantitiil. These scenes frame our mcmoiii ' s of W ' aikiki and Hawaii. The id llic and legt ' ndarv Pohncsia that was Hawaii exists now niaiiiK in the night clubs and the decor of W ' aikiki hotels, but intrusion of Western culture has done little to undermine the eas ' pace and friendK ' , relaxed atmosphere that characterize the Hawaiian setting. Hawaii is no longer a small archipeligo supported by the Navv and the pineapple trade ; it is a Pacific crossroads ; the international tourist has found it out ; Hawaii is a full-fledged member of the Union, a diversified area which shouts its niodcrnit to the woild.